Monday, November 30, 2009

One way or another, this will be John Jaso's last year on the list. Jaso is the oldest player to make either of our top 15 lists, having turned 26 this past September. He ranked #5 on the hitter's list last season, but a disappointing season with the bat along with little tangible defensive progress combined to knock him down to #14.

Jaso has always been an offense-oriented catcher with a good batting eye, posting OPSes over .800 from 2005 through 2008. The problem has been staying healthy and playing passable defense. While Jaso remained healthy throughout 2009, he was unable to make any strides defensively, while he struggled at the plate.

His batting eye was solid(he drew 46 walks against 49 strikeouts), but two completely awful months led to the season line of .266/.362/.366. After a typical Jaso-ian start in April, he completely fell off in May, hitting just .137(seven hits in 51 at-bats). He rebounded in June before another rough month in July, where he hit .243 with only five walks and zero extra-base hits. A strong August and September helped raise his season stats.

Jaso underwent shoulder surgery early in his career, and his arm strength has been suspect since. While he's been able to play entire seasons behind the plate(98 games played at catcher the past two seasons), he threw out only 17% of attempted basestealers in 2009. Minor footwork improvements haven't been able to mask the rest of his poor defense.

Jaso's bat didn't profile well at any other positions(like 1B) even before 2009, so now there are major questions about his future. He'll remain at catcher, but he didn't see any major-league time in 2009 even with the Rays dire catching situation, so it doesn't seem like the organization is all that high on him. Even if his bat bounced back to pre-2009 levels, it's tough to see where Jaso could get time in the majors. He doesn't hit well enough to DH to play 1B, and his defense just doesn't seem good enough to earn a shot.

With Jose Lobaton also on the 40-man roster(and both seemingly ticketed for Durham in 2010), some of the questions about Jaso's future should be answered. At 26 years old, he's basically a finished product, but his proximity to the majors still means something.

When the Rays plucked Bortnick out of Coastal Carolina University in the 16th round, I wrote in my live blog of the draft that "he's a college senior 2nd baseman, so he is what he is. Organization filler, realistically."

Two things happened since then that have changed my mind. One, Jeff Sackmann at TheHardballTimes listed Bortnick as the top defensive collegiate shortstop in the 2007-08 span. I'm skeptical of defensive stats even at the major-league level, so I don't know quite what to make of them at the college level. Bortnick was moved to 2nd base for his senior season at CCU, but the Rays moved him back to shortstop once he was drafted, playing 43 of his 65 games with the Renegades there.

Bortnick also hit way better than I expected in his debut. He hit for contact(.300) average, flashed some power(17 doubles, four triples, and four homeruns in 217 at bats), and even stole 24 bases. He also showed the ability to draw walks(27 of them), helping him to a .386 on-base average. I asked about him in the New York-Penn League top 20 prospects chat, and Aaron Fitt said: "Bortnick's just a solid player who can hold his own all around the infield, he runs OK, and he's a decent gap hitter. I could see a future as a utilityman, but his tools aren't loud enough to suggest he'll be an everyday player."

Of course, the 16th round isn't where you expect to find everyday players, and his future almost certainly is as a utility man(he also saw time at third base and second base with the Renegades). The normal caveat about his statline applies, since he was 21/22 years old in the short-season NY-P League, and his BABIP of .349 suggests he was getting a little bit lucky. But his statline indicates that he doesn't have a glaring weakness, and his defense appears to be at least above average. In a game that broadcast via Twitter by the Renegades, I noticed that Bortnick was a very smooth fielder(again, that's a one-game sample size).

As Fitt noted, he doesn't have the tools to turn into a star. But if Bortnick can become a good fielder at three infield positions and maintain solid production at the plate, then he'd be a legitimate prospect, even in just a utility sense. With Shawn O'Malley ticketed for Montgomery and Tim Beckham for Charlotte, Bortnick will probably spend the entire 2010 season with Bowling Green. But if he hits well with the Hod Rods, it wouldn't surprise me to see Bortnick promoted to the Stone Crabs to play second and third base and occasionally spell Beckham at shortstop.

Monday, November 23, 2009

It's time again for us to roll out the RaysProspects Top 15 Hitters and Pitchers lists. Expect a new entry roughly every other day. As always, ranking prospects is an inexact science, even moreso with these lists, because the ultimate goal isn't to say "A is totally better than B". The point is to learn more about the prospect and stimulate discussion of him. What his ceiling is, when he'll get to the majors, what his tools are, etc. That's more important than just looking at the list and saying, "oh, well you think Luke Bailey is going to have a better career than Matt Sweeney because you ranked him one spot higher." The actual rankings are more of an outline than a set-in-stone hierarchy, especially so when comparing players across levels.

We'll start today with the honorable mentions for out top 15 hitters list. The Rays system is more pitching-heavy, so keep in mind that a hitter honorable mention does not equal a pitcher honorable mention, as you can see from our personal top 30 lists(and as you'll see in our ultimate top 30, which will come after the top 15 lists).

The honorable mentions are listed in alphabetical order:

Nevin Ashley, Catcher: After two consecutive sub-par seasons(OPSes of .663 and .666), Ashley was barely in consideration for the list. But a strong defensive reputation(plus a 48% caught stealing rate in 2009) and a .366/.405/.648 line in the Arizona Fall League, some peopleare talking.

But the fact of the matter is that Ashley's body of work simply isn't something that shouts "prospect". He hasn't hit in the Florida State League in two seasons, when he was 23 and 24 years old, and a half-season stint in the Southern League in 2009 didn't go much better. While he did throw out nearly half of all baserunners trying to steal, his CS% dropped to 37% with the Biscuits, and was only 26% with Vero Beach in 2008. Scouts like his strong arm, but he may not be complete enough defensively to reach the majors even as a back-up. Ashley hasn't shown the ability to hit for average or power the past two seasons, and at 25 years old, it's reasonable to think he's just about a finished product.

On the heels of his strong Arizona Fall campaign, Ashley should open up 2010 as the Biscuits starting catcher. He'll have to show that the AFL stats were more than a fluke to remain on the prospect radar.

Cody Cipriano, Second Base/Outfield: Cipriano provided some offense to a Charlotte Stone Crabs team that lacking in the first half of the season, but his numbers went in the tank after a mid-season promotion to Montgomery.

The Rays' 9th round pick out of UC-Irvine in 2007, Cipriano was sent to the Arizona Fall League but had to leave after just one game with an injury. After playing 2nd base during the year, he was going to get some work in left field in Arizona. He hit below .200 in 2008 with the Columbus Catfish, and after performing poorly with Montgomery, his numbers with Charlotte stand out as a fluke. But if he can get his bat back on track and learn to play a few different positions passably, he could have some value as a future utility man. He'll be 24 next season, so another poor season with the bat would all but end his prospect status.

He'll start 2010 with the Biscuits, but it remains to be seen if he'll be playing 2nd base or left field.

Brett Nommensen, Outfield: Nommensen generated some buzz after the Rays took him in the 8th round of the 2009 draft, partly because of his name, and partly because of how dominant he had been in college. Playing in the Ohio Valley Conference, Nommensen hit an absurd .525/.647/1.010 in 101 at-bats as a senior with Eastern Illinois. His college season was cut short due to an injury, but he was healthy enough to play with the Hudson Valley Renegades, where his OPS was a disappointing .686.

Now, it's very likely that Nommensen's college numbers were the result of playing in a weak conference and using an aluminum bat. He's not an extremely toolsy guy, and he's a bit under-sized, so I'm not sure his ceiling is all that high. He stole 15 bases with the Renegades(who, as a team, ran like crazy), and his speed rates as slightly above-average. Perhaps his wrist injury was still bugging him at the plate and his numbers will rebound in 2010, but a sub-par performance in the New York-Penn League as a 22-year old means he can't crack the top 15.

Nommensen will get the bump to full-season ball and man the Bowling Green outfield in 2010.

Cesar Perez, Third Base: There's not a whole lot out there about Perez, and there isn't any performance record, so for now he'll have to settle for honorable mention. The Rays signed the 16-year old Perez out of Venezuela for $1 million in July. By all accounts, he's an offense-first player who shows good power from the right ride and may have to move across the diamond to 1B or to the outfield. In an interview with DRaysBay, Assistant Director of Minor League Operations said that "Perez has good bat speed on a big, projectable frame and a good arm as well."

Perez will play in either the DSL or VSL in 2010, and depending on his performance could be stateside as soon as 2011.

Mike Sheridan, First Base: Sheridan ranked 13 on our list year, and I wrote that "[t]he big problem, being as he is a 1st baseman, is his lack of power." Well, Sheridan did launch 14 homeruns to go along with 16 doubles and 5 triples for Bowling Green in 2009, but his batting average plummeted to .238. His contact-oriented approach remained, as he only struck out 38 times in 442 at bats, but his lack of walks led to a .278 OBP.

The fact that he put the ball in play so much but only hit .238 means that he probably got very unlucky(his BABIP was a mere .233), but I wonder if he's focusing too much on simply making contact, and thus, making poor contact. If he's working himself into good hitter's counts, perhaps he's too intent on swinging rather than settling for a walk.

2010 will have to be a "put-things-together" year for Sheridan, who figures to be the everyday 1st baseman in Charlotte. If he can maintain or improve on his homerun total, reverse his luck on balls in play, and show improvements in the walks column, then Sheridan would emerge as a viable 1st base prospect.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dogs fell to the Peoria Javelinas 5-4 on Saturday in the Arizona Fall League’s Championship Game at Scottsdale Stadium. The loss snapped Phoenix’s string of six consecutive AFL titles.

The Desert Dogs took the lead in the first inning as Matt Angle led off the game with a triple to center. Angle later scored on a ground ball by Danny Espinosa to give Phoenix a 1-0 lead.

Peoria battled back to take the lead in the second inning. Brent Morel and Andrew Lambo hit back to back singles to lead off the inning. Casper Wells followed with a walk to load the bases for Peoria. Morel tied the game, scoring on a force out by CJ Retherford. The second run of the inning came across on an RBI single by Dustin Ackley to give Peoria a 2-1 lead.

Phoenix took the lead back in the fourth inning, courtesy of two long balls. Grant Desme tied the game with a solo shot to left. Then a few batters later, Nevin Ashley gave the Desert Dogs the lead with a solo home run, putting Phoenix out in front 3-2.

The game was tied again in the bottom of the fourth inning. CJ Retherford drew a walk to lead off the inning then advanced to second on a sac bunt by Cale Iorg. Retherford then moved to third on a throwing error. Jordan Danks drove him home with a ground ball to first, scoring Retherford and tying the game 3-3.

The tie lasted until the top of the seventh inning. Nevin Ashley led off the inning with a single to center. Ashley then stole second and advance to third on a throwing error on the play. Fellow Rays teammate Shawn O’Malley drove Ashley home with an RBI single to give Phoenix a 4-3 lead.

Peoria regained the lead in the eighth inning. Jonathan Lucroy singled to left with one out to put a runner on the bases. CJ Retherford followed with a two run homer to give the Javelinas the 5-4 margin of victory and the AFL title.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Nevin Ashley; 2 for 4 with a home run, RBI and two runs scored, also stole a base.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 2 for 4 with a home run, RBI, 2 runs scored and a stolen base.Shawn O’Malley; 2 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Mitch Talbot; 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks in 3 innings pitched.

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dogs could not hold off the late inning rally and dropped the regular season finale to the Surprise Rafters 7-4 on Thursday.

Surprise took the lead in the third inning. Tyler Henley led off the inning with a double to left. Reese Havens later cleared the bases with a two run home run to give the Rafters a 2-0 lead.

The Desert Dogs cut the lead in half in the fourth inning. Josh Bell doubled to center to get things started. Chris Marrero followed with an RBI double to right, scoring Bell and bringing the Desert Dogs to within a run of the lead 2-1.

Phoenix took the lead in the sixth inning. Shawn O’Malley was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Corey Brown followed with an RBI triple to score O’Malley for the first run of the inning. Brown later scored in a sac fly by Josh Bell to give the Desert Dogs a 3-2 lead.

The Rafters tied the game again in the seventh inning. Daryl Jones doubled to right to get the inning going. Marcus Lemon followed with a single to right, advancing Jones to third. Jones then scored on a single by Mitch Moreland to tie the game 3-3.

The Desert Dogs regained the lead in the ninth inning. Darin Mastroianni drew a walk to lead off the inning. Adam Loewen moved Mastroianni to scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Mastroianni then stole third base. AJ Jimenez followed with a single to center, scoring Mastroianni and giving Phoenix the lead again 4-3.

But Surprise rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning, striking for two home runs to win the game. Marcus Lemon led off the inning with a solo home run. Then Reese Havens singled to right field. Ike Davis followed with a walk. Taylor Teagarden delivered the game winning home run, a three run shot to left-center, giving the Rafters a 7-4 win.

Hiroshi Katayama suffered the loss, getting hit hard in the ninth inning and suffering his first loss of the season.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Chris Marrero; 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, only D-Dog with multiple hits in the game.

Rays Organization Stats:Matt Gorgen; allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and a walk in an inning pitched.Shawn O’Malley; saw one plate appearance and was hit by a pitch, scored a run.Paul Phillips; earned his third hold of the season with a no hit inning.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs look to win their sixth consecutive title as they face the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League Championship Game on Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium. Mitch Talbot will get the start for Phoenix facing Anthony Varvaro for Peoria. The game can be seen live on MLB Networks or www.mlb.com with first pitch scheduled for 2:35 EST.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dogs overcame a five run deficit in the late innings to squeeze by the Peoria Javelinas 7-6 on Wednesday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Peoria took the lead in the first inning. Jordan Danks delivered a two out single to get things going. Danks later scored on an RBI single by Andrew Lambo to give Peoria a 1-0 lead.

The Desert Dogs tied the game in the bottom of the first. Danny Espinosa and Corey Brown delivered back to back singles for the D-Dogs. Then Chris Marrero picked up an RBI with a single to center, scoring Espinosa to tie the game.

The 1-1 tie held until the top of the sixth inning. Brent Morel singled to left to get things started. Morel then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jonathan Lucroy and Joseph Dunigan drew walks to load the bases for Peoria. CJ Retherford drew a bases loaded walk to give the Javelinas a 2-1 lead.

Peoria added to their lead in the seventh inning, striking for two runs. Jordan Danks singled to center with two outs to get it started. Brent Morel then delivered a two run home run to increase the lead to 4-1.

The Javelinas scored two more runs in the eighth inning. The runs came in the form of another long ball. This time it was a two run blast by Trayvon Robinson to give Peoria a 6-1 lead.

The Desert Dogs rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning. Josh Bell got the rally started with a double to center. Shawn O’Malley then drew a walk and Darin Mastroianni was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Matt Angle singled home two runs with line drive to right. Danny Espinosa followed with an RBI single to score Mastroianni and move Angle to second. Corey Brown drove home two runs with double to right scoring Angle and Espinosa to tie the game. Brown later scored the go ahead run on a single by Chris Marrero to give Phoenix the 7-6 win.

Josh Perrault earned the win, improving to 1-1 on the season. Drew Storen picked up his fourth save.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Corey Brown; knocked in the tying run and scored the winning run, went 3 for 4 with a double, 2 RBI’s and a run scored.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 0 for 4 with a strikeout.Shawn O’Malley; 0 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored, 1 pick-off behind the plate on a snap throw to first.Heath Rollins; 2 runs on 3 hits with a strikeout in an inning on the mound.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs wrap up the 2009 Arizona Fall League regular season on Thursday against the Surprise Rafters.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dogs fell to the Scottsdale Scorpions 5-4 on Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium.

The Scorpions took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Chase D’Arnaud singled to left to get things started. D’Arnaud then scored on a triple by Brandon Crawford. Jose Tabata followed with an RBI single to give the Scorpions a 2-0 lead.

Scottsdale posted two more runs in the third inning. Brandon Allen and Cole Gillespie drew walks with two outs to put runners on the bases. Wilin Rosario singled to left to drive in the first run of the inning. Then Troy Hanzawa drove home Gillespie to increase the lead to 4-0.

Phoenix scored their first run of the game in the seventh inning. Adam Loewen delivered a solo home run to right field to take the zero off the board for the Desert Dogs.

The Scorpions added an insurance run in the eighth inning. Wilin Rosario singled to left to lead of the inning. Rosario later scored on a sac fly by Brandon Crawford to give Scottsdale a 5-1 lead.

The Desert Dogs rallied in the ninth inning. Darin Mastroianni led off the inning with a single to right field. Mastroianni then advanced to second on an error on a pickoff attempt. Shawn O’Malley then drew a walk to put runners on first and second. AJ Jimenez drove home Mastroianni with a line drive to second, O’Malley advanced to third on a throwing error on the play. Matt Angle and Jemile Weeks drew back to back walks to load the bases. Corey Brown then drove home two runs with a single to center. But the rally fell one run short as the Desert Dogs lost 5-4.

James Simmons suffered the loss, falling to 1-4 on the season.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Shawn O’Malley; 2 for 2 with a double.

Rays Organization Stats:Shawn O’Malley; 2 for 2 with a double, run scored, 2 walks and a stolen base.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs return home to face the Peoria Javelinas on Wednesday.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dog clinched the division on by winning their fifth consecutive game, defeating the Mesa Solar Sox 11-1 on Monday. With the win, the Desert Dogs will face the Peoria Javelinas in Saturday’s Arizona Fall League Championship Game.

Mesa took the lead by scoring their one and only run in the first inning. Bryan Peterson reached on an error to lead off the inning. Chris Parmelee later drove him home with an RBI single to give the Solar Sox a 1-0 lead.

The Desert Dogs tied the game in the third inning. Darin Mastroianni led off the inning with a single to center. Danny Espinosa later followed with an RBI triple to tie the game 1-1.

Phoenix took the lead with a big fourth inning striking for seven runs. Adam Loewen and Darin Mastroianni got things started with back to back singles with two outs. Matt Angle then drew a walk to load the bases. Danny Espinosa drove home two runs with a line drive single to center, scoring Loewen and Mastroianni. Corey Brown followed with a two run double to score Angle and Espinosa. Grant Desme then drew a walk to put runners on first and second. But they would not remain there long as Josh Bell cleared the bases with a three run homer, giving Phoenix a 8-1 lead.

The Desert Dogs scored three more runs in the fifth inning. Jemile Weeks tripled to lead off the inning. Weeks then scored on an RBI single by Adam Loewen. Darin Mastroianni followed with a single to left. Then Matt Angle delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Loewen. Mastroianni later scored on a sac fly by Danny Espinosa to give the Desert Dogs the 11-1 margin of victory.

Mitch Talbot improved to 3-0 on the season with the win.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Danny Espinosa; 3 for 4 with a triple, 4 RBI’s and a run scored.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 1 for 4 with a double and 2K’s, 1 for 2 in throwing out base stealers.Matt Gorgen; 1 no hit inning with a walk and a strikeout.Paul Phillips; no run or hits with 1 strikeout and 1 walk in an inning on the mound.Mitch Talbot; improved to 3-0 by allowing 1 unearned run on 3 hits with 2 K’s and 3 walks in 4 innings pitched.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs (18-11) will play the Scottsdale Scorpions (12-16) on Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium. James Simmons (1-3, 3.43) will be pitching against Michael Cisco (0-2, 4.30).

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Here they are, hot off the press. Personal top 30 lists from Andy Leslie, Jake Larsen(who we're bringing on as Bowling Green correspondent for the upcoming season), and myself. Doug may stop by and add his in later. Below them is a top 30 that basically averages the three(30 points for 1st place, 29 for 2nd, etc). It's not our official 2010 top 30, but I imagine it will be very similar. Anyway...

Three of us had nine of the same players in our top 10s, but we each had a different last player(Bailey, Sweeney, and Cobb). For a draft pick that hasn't debuted yet and is coming off of Tommy John surgery, I think Luke Bailey up at #11 is pretty high. I also think that Wilking Rodriguez is getting a little bit overvalued for someone who hasn't played above Princeton, while Matt Gorgen and Alex Cobb posted good numbers with Charlotte.

Looking down the rest of the list, though, I don't see a whole lot to quibble about. Aneury Rodriguez just missed both Jake and my own list(he was probably #31 on each), so he's too low at #39.

Anyway, this post is all about sparking conversation, so if you have any questions at all, Jake, Andy, and myself will be checking in to answer any questions you have in the comments section. If you'd like to post your personal top 30, you can go ahead and do that too and I'll go ahead and factor it into our composite rankings.

(And a quick note to the other site writers: I'll likely be bumping this back to the top of the page or as the second post throughout the weekend.)

[Sunday 8:10 PM: Updated to include Doug's list. The combined rankings now count all four lists.]

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dog extended their winning streak to four games with a 1-0 win over the Peoria Saguaros on Saturday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The lone run of the game came in the second inning. Matt Angle struck a solo home run to right center to give the Desert Dogs the 1-0 margin of victory.

Stephen Strasburg struck out 6 of the 14 batters he faced enroute to his league leading fourth win of the season with the shut-out performance. Heath Rollins, Toshiyuki Yanuki and Drew Storen assisted in holding the shut-out intact to the end with Storen earning the save.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Stephen Strasburg; improved to 4-1 with the win, allowed no runs on 1 hit with 6 strikeouts and a walk in 3 2/3 innings on the mound.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 1 for 4 with a stolen base and 3 K’s.Shawn O’Malley; 0 for 3 with a walk and 2 K’s.Heath Rollins; earned second hold of the season with 1 1/3 no-hit innings with 1 strikeout.

A Look Ahead: Sunday is an off day for all AFL teams. Play resumes on Monday as the Phoenix Desert Dogs (17-11) face the Mesa Solar Sox (13-14) at HoHoKam Park. Mitch Talbot (2-0, 5.30) will be on the mound for Phoenix against Randor Bierd (3-1, 5.50) for Mesa.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Game: The Phoenix Desert Dog won their third game in a row by defeating the Mesa Solar Sox 9-7 on Friday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Mesa took the lead early by posting a run to the board in the first inning. Bryan Peterson led off the game with a triple to centerfield. Peterson later scored on an RBI single by Rene Tosoni to give the Solar Sox a 1-0 lead.

The Desert Dogs battled back to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jemile Weeks and Danny Espinosa drew walks to lead off the inning. Grant Desme then followed with a single to right to load the bases. The first run of the inning came on a passed ball that allowed Weeks to score. Josh Bell followed with an RBI single to left, scoring Espinosa. Nevin Ashley drove home the third run of the inning with a ground ball that scored Desme and gave Phoenix a 3-1 lead.

Mesa fought back to tie the game in the second inning. Ryan Kalish and Steve Singleton delivered back to back singles to lead off the inning. Casey Kelly followed with an RBI single to score Kalish. Bryan Peters singled home Singleton to tie the game at 3-3.

The tie did not last long as Phoenix regained the lead in the bottom of the second. Matt Angle led off the inning with a walk. Angle advanced to second on a wild pitch and then moved to third on a ground out by Darin Mastroianni. Jemile Weeks drove Angle home with a sac fly to give the Desert Dogs a 4-3 lead.

But Mesa was not finished as they fought back to take the lead back once again, this time striking for four runs in the inning. Chris Parmelee started things off with a single to center. Then Ryan Kalish delivered a single to third to put two runners on the bases for Mesa. They did not remain there long as the next batter, Steve Singleton, delivering a three run home run to clear the bases. Bryan Peterson followed with a triple to right and later scored on an RBI single by Jose Iglesias, giving Mesa a 7-4 lead.

Phoenix pulled a little closer in the bottom of the third inning. Josh Bell reached on a fielding error to put a runner on the bases. Nevin Ashley moved him into scoring position with a single to left. Brad Emaus followed with an RBI double to left that scored Bell and moved Phoenix to within two runs of the lead.

The Desert Dogs tied the game in the home half of the fourth inning. Corey Brown reached on an error with two outs to get things going. Grant Desme followed with a two run homer to tie the game 7-7.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth inning when Phoenix struck for two more runs. Darin Mastroianni singled to third to put a runner on the bases. Jemile Weeks followed with a two run home run to give the Desert Dogs the lead. The bullpen shut the door in the ninth as Phoenix held on for the 9-7 win.

Justin Friend was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-1. Eddie Gamboa earned the save, his first of the season.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Jemile Weeks; hit game winning home run and went 1 for 3 with a home run, 3 RBI’s, 2 runs scored and walk.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 2 for 4 with a double RBI and a run scored.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs (16-11) will take on the Peoria Saguaros (12-15) on Saturday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Stephen Strasburg (3-1, 5.28) will be on the mound against Steve Garrison (2-1, 4.11)

Margarita 2, Caracas 1Ray Olmedo (Margarita); 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 strikeouts.Joe Bateman (Caracas); 1 no hit inning on the mound. Jose Lobaton (Caracas); did not see an plate appearance, 0 for 2 in throwing out base runners behind the plate.

The Game: The offense remained hot as the Phoenix Desert Dogs defeated the Mesa Solar Sox 11-5 on Thurday.

Phoenix took the lead in the first inning by posting two runs to the scoreboard. Shawn O’Malley drew a walk to lead off the inning. Corey Brown then cleared the bases with a two run home run to put the Desert Dogs ahead 2-0.

Mesa cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Starlin Castro got things started with a double to center. Castro later scored on a single by Josh Vitters as the Solar Sox pulled within one run of the lead.

The Solar Sox took the lead in the second inning. Luis Exposito, Greg Burns and Jose Iglesias singled to load the bases for Mesa. Brian Peterson reached base on an error and drove home the first run of the inning. Starlin Castro followed with a ground ball to second to push across the second run. Josh Vitters was then hit by a pitch to push across the third run of the inning and give the Solar Sox a 4-2 lead.

The Desert Dogs regained the lead in the fifth inning thanks to some wild pitching by Mesa. Shawn O’Malley lead of the inning with a walk and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Danny Espinosa then drew and walk. Both runners then advanced into scoring position on the second passed ball of the inning. Corey Brown followed with a walk to load the bases for Phoenix. O’Malley then scored on a wild pitch and both runners advanced into scoring position. Josh Bell drove home Espinosa with a single to left. Brad Emaus drove home another run with a sac fly to left, giving the Desert Dogs the lead 5-4.

Phoenix added another run in the sixth inning as Shawn O’Malley and Danny Espinosa drew walks to lead off the inning. Corey Brown then delivered an RBI single to right, scoring O’Malley and increasing the lead to 6-4.

The Desert Dogs offense kept rolling, picking up two more runs in the seventh inning. Brad Emaus singled to left to get things going. Nevin Ashley followed with an RBI triple to score Emaus. Ashley later scored on a single by Adam Loewen to give Phoenix a 8-4 lead.

Mesa added another run in the seventh inning. Ryan Kalish singled to right to get the inning started. Kalish later scored on a double by PJ Phillips to pull the Solar Sox within three runs of the lead.

Phoenix added some insurance in the top of the eighth, striking for three runs and putting the game out of reach for Mesa. Danny Espinosa and Corey Brown collected back to back singles to lead off the inning. Grant Desme followed with an RBI single to score Espinosa and then advance to second on the throw. Josh Bell drove home two runs with s ingle to center, scoring Brown and Desme and giving the Desert Dogs the 11-5 margin of victory.

Robert Ray picked up the win for Phoenix, improving his record to 2-1.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Corey Brown; 3 for 3 with a home run, 3 RBI’s and 3 runs scored while drawing 2 walks.

Rays Organization Stats:Nevin Ashley; 2 for 5 with a double, triple, RBI and a run scored.Shawn O’Malley; 1 for 3 with 3 walks and 3 runs scored.

A Look Ahead: The Phoenix Desert Dogs return home to Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a rematch with the Mesa Solar Sox on Friday.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Game: Nevin Ashley lead the offense as the Phoenix Desert Dogs defeated the Scottsdale Scorpions 12-3 on Wednesday in Scottsdale. With the win, the Desert Dogs put an end on their losing streak.

Phoenix took the lead in the first inning and never looked back. Matt Angle drew a walk to lead off the inning. Angle then stole second and later advanced to third on a fly ball by Danny Espinosa. Brandon Waring then drove him home with a sac fly to put the Desert Dogs ahead 1-0.

The Desert Dog’s offense heated up in the second inning, striking for four runs. Nevin Ashley got things started with a triple to center. Brad Emaus followed with an RBI single to score Ashley. Jemile Weeks then reached on an error, moving Emaus to third and Weeks took second on the play. Darin Mastroianni drove home two runs with a sac fly that was misplayed in right, allowing two runs to score and Mastroianni to reach third. Matt Angle drove home the fourth run of the inning with a sac fly to left, giving Phoenix a 5-0 lead.

Scottsdale reached the scoreboard in the third inning. Brian Friday and Chase d’Arnaud both scored on a single by Domonic Brown as the Scorpions pulled to within three runs of the lead 5-2.

Phoenix matched the Scorpions with two runs of their own in the next inning. Nevin Ashley led off the inning with his second triple of the game. Brad Emaus then drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Jemile Weeks hit into a force out, scoring Ashley but losing Emaus at second, Weeks then advanced to third on a throwing error on the double play attempt. Darin Mastroianni followed with a single that score Weeks and increased the Phoenix lead to 7-2.

The Desert Dogs struck for four more runs in the seventh inning. Matt Angle led off the inning with a single to center. Danny Espinosa then cleared the bases with a two run homer. Grant Desme later drew a walk to put another runner on the bases. Nevin Ashley drove Desme home with a double to center. Ashley later scored on a double by Brad Emaus and the Desert Dogs now held a 11-2 lead.

Phoenix scored their twelfth and final run of the game in the eighth inning. Grant Desme drew a two out walk to get things going. Desme then advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on an RBI double by Josh Bell to increase the lead to 12-2.

Scottsdale added a run to their total in the bottom of the ninth. Brian Friday singled to center to get the scoring play started. Friday then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jose Tabata followed with an RBI single that scored Friday. But the run wasn’t enough as the Desert Dogs held on for a 12-3 win.

Reidier Gonzalez earned the victory for the Desert Dogs, improving to 2-0 on the season.

Phoenix Desert Dogs Player of the Game: Nevin Ashley; 3 for 5 with all hits being for extra bases (1 double, 2 triples), 1 RBI and 3 runs scored.